


would it be enough (if I could never give you peace)

by ZJpotter



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 09:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZJpotter/pseuds/ZJpotter
Summary: Allison stares at the ring on her finger, twisting her hand this way and that so the ring sparkles in the light. It’s not a very big ring, but not a very small one either. A beautiful band of white with a round glittering diamond in the middle. It probably costs more than it should have."Are you going back?" Since then, the kiss and the beginning of whatever it is they currently are, Klaus hadn't asked the question again. He'd been a bit afraid if he was honest. He's not sure why he asks it now. No, that's a lie. He knows.Or: The Hargreeves' and their sixties love.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz, Raymond Chestnut/Allison Hargreeves
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Holy smokes y'all I posted a fic in 2020! Goal complete! And hello there Umbrella Academy fandom!! I've been sucked in, gosh I have so many ideas.  
> This may or may not have more chapters but for now it's just Allie and Ray. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and Happy New Year's everyone.  
> (Title and inspiration from Taylor Swift's "peace")

_"Your integrity makes me seem small,_

_You paint dreamscapes on the wall."_

Allison stares at the ring on her finger, twisting her hand this way and that so the ring sparkles in the light. It’s not a very big ring, but not a very small one either. A beautiful band of white with a round glittering diamond in the middle. It probably costs more than it should have. Still, it’s not the most expensive ring she’s had on her finger. That ring had been gold, a hundred tiny gems decorating the band, an accent to the giant heart-shaped stone in the middle of the band. A bit much for some, but it was a ring fit for Hollywood’s darling, the mega-star, former child superhero Allison Hargreeves. And Hollywood’s darling, the mega-star, former child superhero Allison Hargreeves loved that ring. And she loved all that came with it. But this ring? This ring belongs to Allison, hair stylist, civil rights organizer Allison. And she loves this ring more. 

She can’t believe it’s hers.

It doesn’t feel like it should be. Nothing here feels like it should be hers. That could be due to literally being in the wrong place at the wrong time, of feeling like she’s walking in a shoe a size too small. Except to say that would negate how far and how well she’s walked in that ill-fitted shoe. She has friends. She has a job. She has acceptance, had gotten it the moment she burst into the salon, shaking and terrified. They didn’t know her name, hadn’t even heard her voice for months and accepted her as one of their own. She’s making a difference in the world and not the way she thought she was before. Not by donning a schoolchild’s uniform and domino mask every time an alarm sounded trouble, not by barging her way into roles on the big screen or showing up to somebody’s party but by being part of the history she’d read about, being part of her history. She’s changing things for the better. And she’s doing it all without a single rumor. She’s _earned_ what she has here, and it feels so so good. 

It’s why she has Ray. 

Ray, who she loves, very very much, feels like he shouldn’t be hers most of all. Ray is…. Ray is everything Allison isn’t. She’s come to terms with it ever since he turned his beautiful brown eyes on her. He’s brave (the kind of bravery that isn’t molded from knowing you can do anything you want with just your words). He’s true. And, as Allison stares at the ring on her finger, he’s absolutely hers. Her Fiancée.

It’s a very daunting concept to consider getting married all over again. It’s a very daunting concept to consider getting married. Allison never imagined herself being with anybody but Patrick. They were married and that was that. He would be her forever and Claire would be her forever and their forever would be spent in their house in LA, filling the place with so much love and making Claire so happy she’d forget what it feels like to frown. Allison Hargreeves never imagined losing her forever, never considered that it wasn’t her forever at all. Allison, hair stylist, civil rights rights organizer, trapped in the sixties, Allison had never imagined she’d ever get a glimpse of that _forever_ again. It’s terrifying. 

But Ray is brave. She wants to be too.

Allison is so caught up in her thoughts she almost misses Ray coming in the door. Almost. Years of being trained in the Academy did not give her dull senses. 

“Today was an excellent day,” Ray announces his presence, dropping the keys in the dish by the hallway table. 

Allison twists around on the couch, “Yeah? Why’s that?” 

“We’re making strides baby.” 

He always says that. Every time, no matter how small of an improvement it is. It’s always accompanied with that smile of his and it makes Allison’s heart flutter. Every time. And so Allison does what she does every time she hears it. 

“What happened this time?” 

“We,” Ray says as he shrugs off his coat and hangs it on the coat rack by the door, “are going to be congregating in the church on Easton.” 

It takes Allison a moment and then it clicks. They had been looking at that church for a few months now, knowing how much space was inside and how it would be perfect for a meeting spot. Everyone knew of that place, it didn't matter who you were. They accepted anybody but were loath to get into anybody’s business or take anybody’s side for any reason. In other words, but sat on the very thin line between amenable and unyielding and Allison’s been wondering what it would take to push them over. Looks like they finally wore them down. 

“That’s- that’s great!” She says. “This is big Ray! We could make it in the paper for this!” 

“Think of that,” Ray strides over to her. “The Headlines saying ‘Civil Rights finding a new home at Church on Easton’.” 

She likes the sound of that. And she likes it even more when Ray kisses her. She’s going to get to kiss him everyday, for forever. The ring feels a bit heavy on her finger. 

“I was thinking we could go out tonight, something special?” Ray asks and then kisses her again because he can. “What’s the matter?”

Can’t hide anything from that man. Even when she couldn’t speak. 

“We’re getting married.” 

“Yeah, we are,” Ray’s smile is soft and then it fades just slightly, “Unless-

“No, no, I want to,” She says and takes his hands and gives them a squeeze. “I really, really want to. I promise.”

“But?” 

“No buts,” Allison stares at their intertwined hands and then brings her gaze to his. “You are the most magnificent man I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of...extraordinary people. None of them are like you, have anything close to what you have. I want to deserve you Ray.” 

Ray’s eyes go soft like they do when Allison catches him staring at her. Completely adoring and in disbelief. Allison doesn’t think that’s fair but she lets him bring their knuckles to his lips. 

“You don’t have to,” He says. “You already have me.” 

He kisses her again and Allison rubs her thumb against his cheek bone. Ray pulls away, still looking at her like she’s the sun. 

“And I have the most wonderful woman on Earth,” He says. 

“What a match are we then.”

Ray laughs and moves back, “What do you think about Cordero’s for dinner?” 

“That sounds really good actually.” 

Ray grins and goes off towards the kitchen. Probably to go phone the owner. 

Left alone in the living room, Allison stares at the ring on her finger and thinks of the man she lives with. Her fiancé. 

Yeah. Forever sounds pretty good. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus, bugs, and the definiton of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like there's another chapter to this after all!  
> Thank you for the love on the first chapter!!   
> And now without further ado we head to 1968.....

_"And you know that i'd_

_Swing with you for the fences_

_Sit with you in the trenches"_

Mosquitos are annoying. The most annoying bug and Klaus has dealt with a lot of annoying bugs. Take ants for example. While Vanya had an appreciation for them (small, under appreciated), Klaus hated the way they got into everything. They thought everything was theirs no matter how far or how high you placed your food. Klaus stopped trying to have picnics in the courtyard at a very young age. 

But mosquitos? Klaus loathes mosquitos. He's never had so many mosquito bites in his life. He's pretty sure his arms look like they have permanent goosebumps. An absolute shame. He had such perfect skin.

The buzzing of the mosquitos mixes with the chirping of the crickets. Nature in Vietnam seems perfectly content with putting on an orchestra every night. It was nice the first week or so. Free concert? Yay. He just didn't ask for a backstage pass. But it's fine; Klaus knows how to tune out noise. 

Klaus slaps at the mosquito that tried to land on his arm. He misses and slaps himself, bicep stinging from impact. The mosquito hovers in front of his face and Klaus swears it's laughing at him. 

"No one likes a brag," Klaus hisses.

There's a laugh from beside him. Dave is grinning at him, chin resting on his hand like he is very much entertained. He probably is. Mosquitos seem to hate Dave.

"Laugh it up."]

"Sorry darlin'," Dave says in a tone that implies he isn't very sorry at all. 

"Laugh at my despair Davey," Klaus flops backwards, grass scratching against his bare arms. "Laugh as I wither away, eaten by mosquitos. What do they need so much blood for anyway? I know I'm delicious but not that delicious."

"Well that depends on who you ask." 

"Yeah?" 

Dave nods, "Yeah. Like if you ask me for example-" 

Klaus pushes himself up on one arm and grins like the Cheshire Cat, "Then I'm the best snack in the grocery store." 

Dave blinks for a second, like he's trying to reorient himself with the new term. He always gets such a confused look on his face whenever Klaus uses twenty-first century slang. Nose slightly scrunched up, eyebrows furrowed. It's adorable. 

Dave seems to decide that Klaus' statement agrees with him because he says, "The very best. But if you asked Jerry on the other hand, well, he'd tell you something different." 

"Please, I've seen Jerry checking me out before."

Dave snickers at that. Jerry really isn't subtle. 

They fell into silence again. Silence being relative. The orchestra is still very much going. Klaus wonders if this is their encore.

Klaus situates himself back on the grass. He looks up at the constellations he could never remember the names of. 

"My sister," Dave says and that's the tone of voice he uses when he wants to tell a story, "My sister, when she was like eight, decided that the best way to get rid bugs was to use some of that Off! Spray. It was a good enough idea because we were in the middle of a ball game and it's really hard to be playin' ball when you're swatting at flies. So she took the can of spray and -Ma never let her spray any of it herself before so she didn't know what she was doing- took off the cap and sprayed it....Right at her face." 

Klaus can't stop the laugh that escaped him. Sure that sounds horrible but Diego had sprayed himself with cooking spray trying to help Mom as a kid and all Klaus can think of is Diego flailing around the kitchen and knocking over Luther. Luther had been screaming because Diego was screaming and Five was sitting on the table somehow mastering the smug look at the age of seven. He was just proud that Grace had given him the pancake batter spoon and not Klaus. That was fine. Luther knocked the batter bowl onto his lap two seconds later. 

Klaus laughs so hard his chest hurts. Dave's laughing too. 

"What-what happened?" Klaus asks between gasps. 

"I sprayed her with the garden hose." 

"You what?" 

"It was nearby and it would flush her eyes out," Dave shrugs. "Ma was not happy about that. It got Lou's dress wet and she had to change and everything. Yeah. Ma would not be happy about how I'm keeping my clothes." 

He gestured to his grass-stained pants. Klaus thinks that his pants looked nice all things considered. They hadn't seen mud this week. 

Dave looks a little wistful now, the same way he always does when he brings up home. By now Klaus has learned that Dave lives with both his parents in a house with a white pickett fence. His Ma makes the best casseroles and saves every department store ad she can get her hands on. His little sister Louise, cuts out the people in the ads for her paper dolls. It's a nice little life, a normal life that Klaus has never and probably will never experience. He can tell Dave misses it. So he asks: 

"Are you going back?" 

This question has become somewhat of a game in the months Klaus has been here. All the soldiers ask it. "What are you going to do when you get back?" "You'll miss us when you go back won't you?" Some version gets passed around during a card game or while someone's walking or when crouched down in a trench. When, Klaus had found is a very very important part of the question. Always when. Never if. 

Dave's answer changes. At the beginning it was a long nap, it was always said jokingly and everyone around would take it for what it was. A very honest joke. To Klaus he started to get more specific. Time with his sister. Maybe go to school and study. Get a job. Have a life. Klaus' answers were never quite as serious. Oh he seriously wanted to travel the world and wear bell bottoms and meet Stevie Nicks and Freddie Mercury but Dave always seemed to want his things very deeply. Ben would have appreciated Dave's want and attachment to things. 

There was one night that, despite being absolutely wasted, Klaus can remember vividly. He and Dave were discussing that wonderful question and Dave, also very drunk, had decided he was going to live in a cottage. He was going to have a garden like his Ma and he'd have a whole room full of books for no reason other than to say he has one. Klaus would live next door. Klaus immediately took him up on this offer. He vowed to be the most annoying neighbor Dave would ever have. Klaus would paint his house the most obnoxious color and always play his music loud enough that Dave could feel it in his floorboards. Dave was okay with that. Dave was so okay with that, that he suggested Klaus move in. And so, Klaus and Dave would live in a cottage, with a room full of books, with a wall painted in psychedelic colors, with furniture that looked too rich for their house, with a garden that grew the best hydrangea's and tomatoes. They'd have an alpaca named Ben.

They weren't exactly quiet about their fantasy with their voices carrying through the trees, but whoever heard either didn't care or was good enough to keep their mouth shut. It didn't particularly matter if they heard because they weren't important. Dave was important. And Dave _wanted_ him. In some capacity. Subconsciously. Honestly Klaus would take what he could get. Dave was hard to read if he wanted to be. 

But boy was he easy to read when they kissed. 

Since then, the kiss and the beginning of whatever it is they currently are, Klaus hadn't asked the question again. He'd been a bit afraid if he was honest. He's not sure why he asks it now. No, that's a lie. He knows. 

Dave considers it, "I think so. Maybe." 

Klaus sits up a that. No matter what answer Dave gives, he's always been certain.

"Maybe?" 

"Maybe. There's still room for me back home. And I told Lou I would."

"But?" Klaus asks and tries to shove down the hope bubbling up in his chest. 

"But." 

Dave's eyes flick towards him and then he goes back to staring out at their surroundings. Klaus keeps quiet. He's not usually good at that, but Dave is obviously trying to work out something. He can be patient. He can. 

"I don't know, " Dave finally said, voice dropping to a volume that Klaus had to strain to hear. "I think my definition of home is changing. Y'know?" 

Klaus pictures it. Home. It's a very funny word for someone who's spent all of their adult life without one. It's as useless as any possession he's had and has almost no meaning to him. But if he were try to define it -

Home could be the the giant, imposing building that is the Umbrella Academy. Grouchy little Five yelling about time travel. Diego and his notebook full of catch-phrases to use during missions. Playing dress up with Allie. The images come and then fade at once. They are memories and they are people and people that he had, that he still, in some ways, loves. He doesn't think he ever would stop no matter where he ends up. But to call them home would be wrong. That place was never home. He knows what home is supposed to be like. Its supposed to be warm and kind and the place you know will always be there and-

Home is a person and his name is Dave. 

Home is Dave's bright eyes and his dorky grin that comes before telling a story he can barely get through because of how funny it is. Home is Dave's joking punches and the way his accent comes out stronger when he's upset. It's the little touches they share when nobody is looking. Home is the way Klaus felt whenever Dave kissed him (electric, beautiful, perfect). Home is here, in Vietnam 1968, under the starry sky. They're surrounded by a man's worst nightmares. Bombs and blood and death that make the ghosts multiply by the hour. But Klaus? Klaus never felt more safe. 

"Yeah," Klaus says and laces his fingers with Dave's. 

He does know. He really, really does. 


End file.
